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EMANUEL RUDOLPH COLLECTION

Dr. Emanuel Rudolph (1927 – 1992) and his wife, Ann Rudolph (1935 – 1991), were passionate collectors of botanical prints and books. Their extensive library consisting of 53,000 volumes was bequeathed to The Ohio State University and distributed to several libraries. It was Dr. Rudolphʼs desire to have his collection of 750 botanical prints donated to the OSU Chadwick Arboretum. Dr. Rudolph was a respected and much beloved professor in the biological sciences at The Ohio State University from 1961 until his death in 1992. In addition to his distinguished work as a Polar Lichenologist, Dr. Rudolph became nationally known for his broad interests in the history of nineteenth and early twentieth century biology and botany.

His inclination to collect botanical illustrations was not limited to an appreciation of their artistic merit, but also included an awareness of their value in tracing the history of the natural sciences.